Feels like home: The A380 has become a familiar sight in the UK

The A380 is “right at home” as a centre of attention at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow – underscoring the key role it plays in connecting city-pairs around the world, including a major international hub not far from the location of this biennial UK-based aerospace event.

London’s Heathrow Airport – located approximately 35 kilometres from Farnborough – is the world’s busiest A380 destination, with 15 daily departures offered by five of the current 11 worldwide A380 operators.

“With its spacious comfort in all classes of service, the A380 is the ideal aircraft to meet passenger demand at busy – and slot restricted – major international airports such as London Heathrow,” said Antonio Da Costa, Airbus’ Head of A380 Marketing. “In addition to its unmatched operating economics, airlines can also add more capacity at high-value peaks times when passengers prefer to fly.”

As a result, this double-deck jetliner has become a common sight at Heathrow: Emirates currently offers five daily A380 departures from the airport; along with British Airways’ four; while Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Qantas operate two each.